Barber&#39;s chair



April 5, 1932. w. F. KOKEN- ET AL BARBER S CHAIR Filed Feb. 14, 1929 2Sheets-Sheet Hnmm April, 5, 1932. WMF. KOKEN ET AL BARBER S CHAIR 1929 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 14

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- II M Patented Apr. 5, 1932 UNITED ST'TES smear WALTER 12 KO K'EN nnL'I' NEL A. CARTER. or wiins'rnn en'dvns; rarssoiinr, AssIGNoRs T KOKENCOMPANIES, on ST. Louis; MISSOURI, A GORPORATIO'N or DELAWARE BARBERSCHAIR Application filed February 14, 1929. Serial No; eassz.

This invention relates to adjustable chairs of the kind commonlyreferred to as barbers chairs, and particularly, barbers chairs of thetype in whichthe seat andback are combined insuch amanner that the seatwill shift longitudinally relatively to the seat frame of the chair whenthe position of the back is changed. j v

'In one make of barbers chairs of the general' type mentioned that hasheretofore been in. use, theseat is combined with the back in such a waythat the seat will shift forwardly when-the back is lowered, and willshift rear- Wardly when the back is raised. In addition to producing achair in which the seat shifts oppositely to the direction in which theoccupants back moves, during the operation of loweringthe back of thechair to arrange the occupant in a reclining position, the abovedescribed method of combining the back and seat of the chair makes itnecessary to'provide the seat frame with upwardly-projecting supportsforthepivots or fulcrums of the swingingr levers that carry the shiftableseat, and makes it necessary to pivotally connect the seat to saidswinging levers at points below thegfulcruins of said levers, thuscausing the seat to swing downwardly from a high point to a' low pointin passing fr'om'its extreme rearward position to its extreme forwardposition and vice versa, and c'omes'to rest in such a positionthatgravity exerts a'force on tlie'seat tending to move it towardsan'intermediate position.

One object of our invention is to provide anadjustable chair of the typethat is equipped with'a longitudinally shiftable seat, which is of suchdesign and construction that it is not necessary to provide the seatframe of thechair with upwardly-projecting supports f'o'rthe swinginglevers or links that carry "the shiftable seat, thereby reducing thecost of manufacturingv the chair and producingia' chair Whose seat frameis symmetrical and devoid ofbraokets 'or similar projections.

Another object is to provide 'a barbers chair or the like of the generaltype mentioned, ,whichisof such design that the seat ofthe chairwillmove rearwardly when the back ofthe chair is being lowered, and willmove. forwardly when said back" is being raised. 7 Another object is toprovide achair o ftli'e general t-ype mentioned,; in which the seat andback are combined in such a way that when said parts are adjusted intheir extreme positions, gravity causes the seat to exert pressure onthe swingin .levers which su's' tain it in a direction ten ingto holdsaid levers in the position into which they were moved. p j v And stillanother object of our invention is to provid'ea barbers; chair or thelike that is equipped with a novel means for detachably connecting: aremovable element; such as an upholstered seat or back, to thesupporting structure that carries said element. I v

To this end'we have d'evised a barbers chairor the like that comprises aseat frame supported by any suitable or preferred ineans, pairs offrontand rear levers or swinging links pivoted directly tothe said seatframe at pointsbelow the top edge of said frame, a longitudinallyshiftabl'e seat pivotally connected to said levers at points above theirfulcrums or axes of movement, and a shiftable-back carriedby the rearlevers. Usually,-the chair will comprise an apron carried by the frontlevers; and arms pivotally connected to the upper en'ds-of-the front andrear levers in such a way that the operation'oflowering the backdepressesthe arms; raises the apron and shifts the seatrearwardly,and-the operation of raising the back elevates the arms, lowers'theapron'and shifts the seat forwardly.

Figure 1' ofth'edr-awings is a side elevational view ofa barbers 'chairconstructed in accordance with our inventioiifshowing the back adjustedin its'extreme upright position.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of our improved chair, showingtheba'ck adjusted in its extreme lowered position. 0

Figure 3 is a top planview o'f the' chair, showing the parts' adjustedin the position shown in Fi ure 1; V

Figure dis a front elevational viewof'the chair, partly broken away, andshowing the parts adjusted in the position shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of some of the parts, broken awayand in sections, so as to show how the swinging levers are pivotallyconnected to the seat frame and how the shiftable seat is pivotallyconnected to said levers; and

Figure 6 is a detail view, illustrating the detachableconnection betweenthe seat and its supporting levers which permits the seat to be easilydisconnected from said levers.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of ourinvention, A desig nates the seat frame of the chair, B designates anysuitable supporting or sustaining means for said seat frame, such, forexample, as a pedestal, C designates the shiftable seat, D designatesthe shiftable back, E designates, the apron and F designates the arms ofthe chair. The seat frame A may be of any preferred construction, but itpreferably consists of a casting of rectangular shape in outline, whoseside portions are hollow or provided with double walls 1 and 2, as shownin Figure i, the outer walls 1 of said side portions being unbroken orcontinuous and merging into the front and rear members of the seatframe. The seat, backand apron of the chair are sustained by a pair ofswinging front levers G and a pair of swinging rear levers G, and thearms F are pivotally connected to said levers G and G so as to cause allof said elements to move in unison during the operation of lowering orraising the back.

The levers G and G are pivoted directly to the seat frame A of the chairat points below the top edge of said frame, and in the preferred form ofour invention herein illustrated each of said levers is provided with alaterally-projecting pivot or fulcrum pin 8 that projects into a hole inthe inner wall 2 of one of the side members of the seat frame, as shownin Figure 4c- The shiftable seat C is pivotally connected to the leversG and G at points above the fulcrums or axes of movement of said levers.Preferably, the seat is detachably connected with the levers G and Gthat sustain it in such a way that it can be disengaged from said leversand bodily removed therefrom without the aid of a tool or instrument,and the connecting means that we prefer to use for this purpose consistsof clips 4 permanently attached to the opposite sides of the seat C andprovided with elongated slots 5 that receive pins 6 which projectinwardly from the seat sustaining levers. As shown in Figures 4, 5 and6, each of the clips 4 is provided at its lower end with a part thatbears against the side edge of the seat and which is permanentlyconnected to same by fastening devices, or in any other suitable way.Above the point of connection between the clip and seat said clip isflared outwardly so as to form an upwardly-proj ecting portion in whichthe slot 5 is formed, the lower end of said slot 5 extending into thecurved or outwardly flared, intermediate portion of the clip, and thusforming in effect a laterally-projecting member on the seat providedwith a vertically-disposed slot whose upper end is closed and whoselower end portion is of such construction that the sustaining pin 6 withwhich said member cooperates will enter said slot when saidlaterally-projecting member is arranged above said pin in verticalalignment with same and then moved downwardly relatively to said pin.Likewise, the laterally-projecting member on the seat can be easilydisconnected from the sustaining pin 6 with which it c0- operates,simply by moving the seat upwardly, as to cause the pin 6 to pass out ofthe inwardly curved lower end portion of the vertically-disposed slot insaid member. It is immaterial how the apron E is combined with the frontlevers G, but said levers will usually be arranged so that they embracethe side edges of said apron. The back D of the chair is preferablycombined with the rear levers G in a similar way, it being, of course,understood that said apron and back are permanently connected to theirsustaining levers by fastening devices or other suitable means.

If it is desired to lower the back D of the chair, the operator incharge of the chair merely swings the back downwardly from the positionshown in Figure 1- into the position shown in Figure 2, which operationcauses the seat C to shift rearwardly relatively to the seat frame A ofthe chair, due, of course, to the fact that the pivotal connections 6between the seat C and its sustaining levers G and G are located abovethe fulcrums 3 or axes of movement of said levers. During the rearwardmovement of the seat, from its extreme forward position to its extremerearward position, the seat rises slightly while the levers G and G arepassing through their dead center position, and then comes to rest insubstantially the same horizontal plane which the seat occupies in itsextreme forward position. Likewise, when the seat shifts forwardly fromits extreme rearward position into its extreme fortward position, itrises slightly and then returns to its normal level. Consequently, thereis no tendency for the levers G and G to shift accidentally from theposition into which they were moved, when the seat C is in either itsextreme forward position or its extreme rearward position, for at suchtimes gravity exerts a force on the seat 0 which tends to cause saidseat to hold the levers G and G in the position into which they weremoved. This feature or characteristic of our chair will be clearlyapparent from an examination of Figure 2 of the drawings, wherein itwill be noted that the seat is in its lowermost position and is exertingpressure on the levers G and G in a direction tending to swing saidlevers rearwardly so as to hold the back D in its extreme lowerposition. When the back D is swung upwardly from the position shown in*igure 2 into the position shown in Figure 1, the pivots 6 thatconstitute the connection between the seat C and the sustaining levers Gand G swing forwardly through a dead center position and come to rest insuch a position that they exert pressure on the levers in a directiontending to swing the upper ends of said levers forwardly.

A barbers chair of the construction above described can be manufacturedat a lower cost than chairs of this general type which have heretoforebeen in use, due to the fact that it is not necessary to equip the seatframe with upwardly-projecting supports or brackets for carrying theswinging levers that sustain the seat. It is more attractive inappearance, and is easier to keep clean and in a sanitary condition thanprior chairs of the kind referred to, due, of course, to the eliminationof brackets or similar projections on the seat frame, and it has theadded ad vantage that the shiftable seat C moves in the same directionthat the occupants back moves when the back D of the chair is beinglowered or raised. While it is not essential that the seat C bedetachably connected to its supporting levers G and G, we prefer toconnect said parts together in the manner described, so as to facilitatethe cleaning of the chair, the clips 4 that are permanently attached tothe side edges of the seat C being of such design that the seat can bequickly disengaged from its sustaining levers simply by bodily movingsaid seat upwardly so as to cause the pins 6 on the inner sides of thesustaining levers to pass out of the inwardly curved lower end portionsof the slots 5 in the clips 4. Likewise, the seat can be quickly engagedwith its sustaining levers, simply by positioning the seat above thepins 6, with the elongated slots 5 in the clips 4 in vertical alignmentwith said pins, and then moving the seat downwardly so as to cause thepins 6 to enter the inwardly curved lower end portions of the slots inthe clips 4 and move upwardly through said slots into the position shownin Figure 5.

WVhile we have herein illustrated our invention embodied in a chair ofthe kind known commercially as barber chair, we wish it to be understoodthat our invention is applicable to other types and kinds of adjust-ablechairs.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a barbers chair or the like, a seat, clips attached to the sideedges of said seat and provided with upwardly-projecting portionsarranged in spaced relation to the seat that have elongated slots whoselower ends are open, a supporting structure, and pins on said supportingstructure normally positioned in the slots in said clips but capable ofbeing withdrawn from the lower ends of said slots by upward movement ofsaid seat.

2. A barbers chair or the like, comprising a seat frame, a supportingmeans for said seat frame, a swinging structure permanently mounted onsaid seat frame, a removable seat arranged within said swingingstructure, pivot pins for said seat carried by said swinging structure,and laterally-projecting brackets on said seat provided withverticallydisposed slots for receiving said pivot pins, said slots beingclosed at their upper ends and open at their lower ends whereby saidseat may be removed by moving the seat upwardly relatively to said pivotpins.

3. A barbers chair or the like provided with a seat frame, said seatframe having side portions that comprise inner and outer walls, frontand rear levers arranged within said frame, pivots for said leverscarried by the inner walls of the side portions of said seat frame, anda seat pivotally connected to said front and rear levers at points abovethe fulcrums of said levers.

4:. A barbers chair or the like provided with a cast metal seat framehaving side portions that comprise inner and outer walls, front and rearswinging levers arranged within said frame and provided withoutwardlyprojecting pivot pins positioned in holes in the inner walls ofthe side members of the seat frame, a back carried by the rear levers,an apron carried by the front levers, and a seat connected to said frontand rear levers by pivot pins located above the fulcrums of said levers.

5. A barbers chair or the like provided with a cast metal seat framehaving side portions that comprise inner and outer walls, front and rearswinging levers arranged within said frame and provided withoutwardly-projecting pivot pins positioned in holes in the inner wallsof the side members of the seat frame, a back carried by the rearlevers, an apron carried by the front levers, a removable seat, andco-acting pivot pins and slotted brackets on said lever and seat fordetachably connecting the seat to said levers.

WALTER F. KOKEN. LIONEL A. CARTER.

